Advise on flu vaccine for dad currently undergoing chemo for lung cancer.

Hi. My Dad has recently been diagnosed with terminal small cell lung cancer and is currently under going 6 rounds of chemo to try and prolong his life. He has been offered the flu jab by his GP and menntioned this to his oncologist last week.

He asked her if he was ok to have the jab, which he presumed would be fine as he falls into the category of being immuno compromised, however his oncologist was very sketchy about it. She told him he can have it if he wants to, as the flu virus would very likely kill him but on the other hand the vaccine isn't without risks so best to have a word with his GP. GP says that he's not a cancer specialist so have a chat with his oncologist, so he feels a bit lost at the moment.

Sadly hes not had the best of treatment since hes been diagnosed and hes slowly loosing faith  I'm wandering if there's anyone here in a similar situation to my dad and if they have had the flu vaccine? Any advise would be much appreciated as we navigate this mine field together!

  • Hi there and thanks for getting in touch

    I am sorry to hear about the treatment you are currently receiving.

    It is understandable that you are confused about whether you should have the flu vaccine or not, given what your doctors have said.

    Generally speaking most oncologist are in favour of patients having the flu vaccine, which isn't live in injection form and usually safe to have. Whilst most patients should try to have it before they start treatment, this isn't always possible.

    We have information about the flu vaccine and cancer treatment on our website that you make like to read.

    I hope you are able to make a decision soon and wish you all the best.

    Take care

    Naomi